One of the first independent colour comic companies to use the direct sales
market emerging in the 1980's, Eclipse comics used several of the
Hillman characters as the basis for their
new universe, bringing back Valkyrie, Skywolf and the Heap, and introducing
a new Airboy. Additionally they published the first Champions mini-series,
prior to Hero Games setting up their own
comics company, Hero Comics; and they also
published a comic based on Fantasy Games Unlimited superhero RPG,
Villains and Vigilantes. They reprinted the
manga Mai the Psychic Girl, Dirty Pair
and Dominion, bringing them to a Western fanbase, and adapted the classic
novels The Hobbit and I Am Legend. Pulp hero
the Spider, freedom fighter
Zorro and British icons,
John Steed and Emma
Peel (in the Steed and Mrs.Peel mini-series), all experienced
new adventures. Perhaps most significantly, Eclipse introduced American audiences
to Miracleman. Since Eclipse ceased publishing
many of their non-creator owned properties have been bought up by
Todd McFarlane Productions.